The Rail Baltic Project in State of play

Ado Lõhmus Deputy Secretary General

28.09.2015 Some important facts (1)

• A north-south railway route – connecting link between Scandinavia and Western Europe. • Double-track railway, European standard gauge 1,435 mm, trains powered by electricity. • The project is carried out in cooperation with Latvia and Lithuania – joint venture RB Rail. • Finland and Poland are also involved as partners. • Time of completion: 2022-2025. Some important facts (2)

• Total length of the route – ca. 700 kilometres, including ca. 200 in Estonia. • In Estonia, the route runs through , County and Pärnu County. • Trains take less than an hour to travel from to Pärnu and less than two hours to Riga. • Total cost – 3.6 billion euros, the Estonian part – ca. 1,1 billion. Fundamental route choice

• The route – running from Tallinn via Pärnu – has been provided in the Resolution of the Government of the Republic (22.09.2011), approving the National Plan Estonia 2030+.

• The resolution was preceded by public debate and consultations with related parties and experts. Elaboration of route options (1)

Location with regard to: • inhabited areas (a buffer zone of at least 500 metres); • Natura 2000 areas, protected areas and the habitats of protected species; • cemeteries, heritage conservation areas and objects protected under heritage conservation; Elaboration of route options (2)

• technical suitability of the route;

• expenses and socio-economic impact;

On the basis of the assessment criteria, route options were chosen in case of which the negative impact was the smallest for all the assessed impacts. Socio-economic aspects

• Cost-benefit analysis; • Construction costs; • Operational costs; • Maintenance costs • Time-saving (travelers, cargo transport); • Job creation; • Positive externalities (e.g. reduction of emissions); •etc.

SEA of county-wide plans

• The preparation of the county-wide plans of Harju, Rapla and Pärnu County was initiated by the order of the Government of the Republic in 2012.

• SEAs were initiated by each county governer.

• Three spatial plans – one comprehensive SEA. Parties of the SEA procedure

• Contracting authority (developer): • Ministry of Economics and Communication; • Estonian Technical Surveillance Authority. • Planning authorities: county governments. • SEA supervisor: Ministry of the Environment. • Planning consultant, SEA experts group, interested groups (municipalities, NGOs governmental agencies etc) Transboundary SEA

• Estonia as Party of Origin (MoE) sent notifications (together with the SEA programme in English) in August 2013 to: • Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Finland.

• Latvia indicated its wish to participate in the SEA procedure. • Estonia as Affected Party – notification from Latvia Additional surveys

• Geotechnical study; • Settlement structure baseline study; • Cultural heritage study; • Archeological heritage study; • Nature surveys; • Analysis of compensation possibilities of potential negative effects to land owners. Findings – examples

• Historical and archaeological monuments, • e.g. flint age settlements.

• Protected species and habitats, • e.g. capercaillie.

• Elaboration of additional principles of compensating the negative effects of large-scale national infrastucture projects (MoE). Experiences

• Protected areas – creation of the Nabala-Tuhala nature conservation areas. Nabala 2013 and Nabala 2015 Mitigation measures

• People, e.g.: • noise barriers, exchange of windows; • landscaping; • assuring movement options.

• Important species and habitats: • mitigation measures (e.g. ecoducts, tunnels, culverts); • compensation measures (e.g. re-plantation of flora).

Compensation measures • Property, e.g.: • buildings in the neighbouring environment; • value of land plots – dwelling land; –> compensation (if necessary) pursuant to applicable law. • Acquisition of land to state – transfer and expropriation. • Analysis of compensation possibilities of potential negative effects to the owners of the immovables (Sorainen).

Prospective (1)

Timetable Action June 2014 Approval of the SEA programme

September Public displays of the sketches of the 2015 spatial plans October 2015 Approval of spatial plans

December Acceptance of spatial plans 2015 Prospective (2)

Timetable Action 2016 January / Publication of the spatial plans and SEA february report, including transboundary documentation to Latvia

March Supervision of the SEA report (MoE)

March / Supervision over preparation of spatial may plans June Adoption of spatial plans Construction works

• Could begin in 2017-2018 at the earliest.

• The objective is to finish most of the work by 2022. Rail Baltic 2013 Rail Baltic 2015 Sources used

• The Rail Baltic project web page http://www.railbaltic.info/en/ • The Scoping Report for the Rail Baltic SEA (06.06.2014) • Rail Baltic Feasibility Study (2011) http://tja.ee/rail-baltica-tasuvusanaluusi- tulemused/?highlight=aecom • Maps – Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications Thank you!